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Linux used to be an operating system for the extremely technical; it was a practical option only for those who had the hours and the inclination to learn the nightmarish strings of commands needed to use it. Fortunately, those days are over and Linux has come on in leaps and bounds to the point where mainstream computers, including the popular Asus Eee PC and even some computers from Dell, come with it pre-installed.

There has never been a better time to give the operating system a go. In this easy-to-use, jargon-free guide we'll show you how to install Ubuntu 7.10 on your PC using Microsoft's free Virtual PC 2007 software. This enables you to run Linux in Windows, just as if it were an application, so there's no danger of messing up your computer or losing any important data. If you like what you see, you can follow our How To. . . walkthrough to install Linux for real alongside Windows.

Distro inferno

One of the big problems with Linux is that there are dozens of different versions (also called distributions, or distros), each of which looks and works slightly differently. For this reason we've decided to use Ubuntu 7.10, which has a reputation for being easy to use. The techniques you learn in this article can be applied to other distributions, though.

There are two ways to install Linux on a PC that already runs Windows, which is what we assume you've got. The most common method is to configure your computer to dual-boot both Windows and Linux. The snag with this arrangement is that you need to change partition information on your hard disk, and if things go wrong, you may find your system completely unbootable.

The method we've gone for is to run Microsoft's Virtual PC 2007 in Windows and create a virtual

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machine to run Linux. The beauty of this method is that you don't need to modify your hard disk, and any problems with the Linux installation won't affect your main PC. You can use the same technique to run other operating systems, too, so you could run Windows XP inside Windows Vista to ensure greater compatibility with older programs - just make sure you've got a valid licence first.

Be prepared

First, you need to download the free Ubuntu 7.10 ISO file from http://tinyurl.com/2cm3o5 (it's also on the cover disc with the DVD edition of Shopper). Select the Desktop Edition, not the Server Edition, and click Start download. Select a UK mirror from the drop-down list (the Virgin Media one is usually fast). The file is nearly 700MB, so the download will take a while.

You also need to download the free Virtual PC 2007 from http://tinyurl.com/3ccjz8. If you're running 32-bit Windows, as most of you will be, download the 32-bit version. If you're running 64-bit Windows, you can choose either the 32-bit or 64-bit version. In either case the file is only about 30MB.

When you have downloaded both files, install Virtual PC and follow the installation wizard. Once it's installed, run Virtual PC from the Start menu and it will automatically start the New Virtual Machine Wizard. On the wizard's title screen, click Next, select Create a virtual machine and click Next. Type a name for your new virtual machine. You can type anything, but it's a good idea to use something meaningful, such as Ubuntu 7.10. Click Next.

Now you need to allocate hard disk space and system RAM. A drop-down list offers presets for every version of Windows, but there's nothing for Linux, so select Other, then Next. Select Adjusting the RAM and a slider will appear, allowing you to specify a value. Bear in mind that whatever RAM you allocate will be unavailable to Windows while the virtual machine is running. If your PC has 2GB of RAM, give the virtual machine 512MB; if your PC has 1GB, allocate 256MB. If your PC has only 512MB of RAM, you could be in trouble. You could give the virtual machine 128MB RAM, leaving 384MB for Windows. Windows XP can work with this amount, but not Vista, and Ubuntu will be very slow. A better option would be to add more memory. Once you've specified the memory for the virtual machine, click Next.